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How to alleviate consumer skepticism concerning corporate responsibility: The role of content and delivery in CSR communications

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  • Floritzel Moreno
  • Jiyun Kang

Abstract

Due to heightened levels of consumer skepticism, it has become crucial for many companies to discern what corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to undertake and how to deliver CSR‐related information to consumers. We aim to examine the role of consumer evaluations of a company's CSR, from both content and delivery perspectives, in shaping consumer skepticism about overall corporate responsibility and advancing retail patronage intentions. We conducted an online nationwide survey with 402 U.S. consumers and used structural equation modeling for the data analysis. The results indicate that the fit between a company's core values and the CSR activities it communicates plays a significant role in alleviating skepticism, while the fit between a consumer's personal values and CSR activity does not have significant effects on skepticism. Both inauthentic information and self‐promotional tone significantly increase skepticism, and skepticism is found to be a significant mediator in the paths from CSR content and delivery factors to retail patronage intentions. Our supplementary analyses suggest that delivery of CSR information can be more important than the content itself in affecting skepticism. The results should inspire practitioners, when planning for CSR communication, to carefully consider fit, tone, and authenticity in order to minimize skepticism and avoid negatively impacting consumers' retail patronage intentions.

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  • Floritzel Moreno & Jiyun Kang, 2020. "How to alleviate consumer skepticism concerning corporate responsibility: The role of content and delivery in CSR communications," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2477-2490, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:27:y:2020:i:6:p:2477-2490
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1969
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    5. Nguyen, Nga & Priporas, Constantinos-Vasilios & McPherson, Mark & Manyiwa, Simon, 2023. "CSR-related consumer scepticism: A review of the literature and future research directions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    6. Zhang, Jintao & Lei, Xinghui & Su, Taoyong & Tang, Li, 2022. "The effect of a list: How firms on key pollution supervisory list disclose environmental information?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    7. Anna Watson & Rozenn Perrigot & Olufunmilola (Lola) Dada, 2024. "The effects of green brand image on brand loyalty: The case of mainstream fast food brands," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 806-819, February.
    8. Rachel Esther Lim & Wei‐Na Lee, 2023. "Communicating corporate social responsibility: How fit, specificity, and cognitive fluency drive consumer skepticism and response," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 955-967, March.
    9. Vannucci, Virginia & Dasmi, Costanza & Nechaeva, Olga & Pizzi, Gabriele & Aiello, Gaetano, 2023. "WHY do YOU care about me? The impact of retailers’ customer care activities on customer orientation perceptions and store patronage intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    10. Wang, Xueqin & Wong, Yiik Diew & Li, Kevin X. & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2021. "Shipping industry's sustainability communications to public in social media: A longitudinal analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 123-134.
    11. De Luca, Francesco & Iaia, Lea & Mehmood, Asad & Vrontis, Demetris, 2022. "Corrigendum to “Can social media improve stakeholder engagement and communication of Sustainable Development Goals? A cross-country analysis”," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    12. Edwin Love & Tejvir Sekhon & Tara Ceranic Salinas, 2022. "Do well, do good, and know your audience: the double-edged sword of values-based CSR communication," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(6), pages 598-614, November.
    13. Francesca Dal Mas & William Tucker & Maurizio Massaro & Carlo Bagnoli, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility in the retail business: A case study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(1), pages 223-232, January.
    14. Percy Marquina & Vincent Charles, 2021. "A Bayesian resampling approach to estimate the difference in effect sizes in consumer social responses to CSR initiatives versus corporate abilities," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1680-1699, November.
    15. Meng, Jia & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2022. "Corporate environmental information disclosure and investor response: Evidence from China's capital market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    16. Nicholas Browning & Ejae Lee & Sung Hyun Lee & Sung-Un Yang, 2022. "We’re All in This Together: Legitimacy and Coronavirus-Oriented CSR Messaging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-38, February.
    17. De Luca, Francesco & Iaia, Lea & Mehmood, Asad & Vrontis, Demetris, 2022. "Can social media improve stakeholder engagement and communication of Sustainable Development Goals? A cross-country analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    18. Yang Cheng & Yuan Wang & Feihong Pan, 2022. "The Impact of CSR Perceptions on Employees’ Turnover Intention during the COVID-19 Crisis in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-14, July.

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